touching down in denver this afternoon, president obama has prepared more for these debates than any sitting president in the modern era. while anticipation builds at the tightly controlled debate site mitt romney fine tuned his message in private, advisers say, relaxing with three of his sons and fueling up on a peanut butter and honey sandwich. campaigning today was left to top surrogates. >> i believe that the 21st century can be better than the 20th. >> you can do that. it's your future. go claim it. >> reporter: outside the debate hall cameras caught a brief glimpse of the candidates' motorcades. their walkthroughs inside the 1500-seat arena, kept out of view. >> two, three, four, five. >> reporter: for days advisers from both sides have been negotiating details from lighting to the angle of the podiums. the rules even address which spouse will be introduced first. mrs. romney, then mrs. obama. and a coin toss determined the president will speak first with romney getting the last word. >> i'd ask the wealthy to pay a little more. >> more americans are living in poverty. >> repor